A rollercoaster which never reaches its peak seems an accurate analogy for Eddie Howe's time at the helm of Bournemouth.

In an era of managers being strewn like confetti across a scrapheap by trigger-happy chairmen in search of quick results, Howe has bucked the trend by surviving some six-and-a-half years at Dean Court - albeit with a season at Burnley sandwiched in the middle.

Plenty has been said about the highly-rated boss' achievements on the south coast, not least in this preview for the return fixture at Vicarage Road, and they speak for themselves.

Taking cash-strapped Bournemouth from the duldrums of League 2 to the bright lights of the Premier League is fantastic, but perhaps their establishment as a top-flight side, with a nine-point gap to the bottom three at present, might be Howe's finest achievement to date.

11th in the Premier League is a fine position for a side destined for non-league within the past decade, but there are still inconsistencies in Howe's side, as showcased by their 3-1 defeat at Sunderland last weekend, despite leading inside the third minute at the Stadum of Light.

In fact, Bournemouth have dropped more points from winning positions - 15, to be exact - than any other team in the league this year, with five coming from their last two games, and another two in Hertfordshire at the start of October.

More hope can be drawn for the Hornets in that the Cherries have only won one of the pair's last nine league encounters, in January 2015 - however, Watford have not won at Dean Court in a league game since 1997 (but to be fair, there have only been three games).

Callum Wilson is back amongst the goals after his long injury lay-off last season, leading the club's scoring charts with six strikes - but it is Scottish midfielder Ryan Fraser who has caught the eye in recent weeks.

The left winger, who didn't make a single top-flight appearance in the last campaign, has won a league-high three penalties this season - and could cause Daryl Janmaat, if fit, problems down the Hornets' right.

With the Hornets out of form, it may not be welcome to suggest their winless run could easily extend to seven games after today - with the last three encounters between these two sides each ending in a draw.

But statistics are there to be rewritten, and despite their recent poor run, a win could - amazingly - take Walter Mazzarri's men back into the top half of the division.